Companies offering remote support during coronavirus isolation
GEA Remote Support
To enable immediate GEA assistance for customers during the coronavirus crisis without putting people’s lives at risk, GEA now offers a special remote support solution the company says is easy-to-set-up.
GEA Remote Support is a service that provides real-time streaming with GEA staff.
From their own location in production, customers can use a commercially-available mobile device to connect and communicate in real-time with a GEA expert to resolve their issue. With just two elements, a mobile device and internet access, customers can initiate a session by receiving a short email or SMS containing a secure link, followed by a video conversation, with the option to share high-resolution imagery back and forth, send descriptions and instructions via the chat function or take and share notes during the conversation. All of this is possible without the customer having to install a new application.
The remote support solution is based on existing GEA Remote Eye Wear technology, offering customers further possibilities for machine maintenance. The specially-designed glasses, which include an integrated high-resolution camera and microphone, allows for hands-free remote support, offering several bidirectional functions.
By projecting images onto the GEA Remote Eye Wear screen, repairs, process optimizations or inspections can be carried out immediately. GEA Remote Eye Wear is currently available as part of the GEA Service Level Agreement (SLA), however, customers will be able to purchase a stand-alone unit as part of a premium service package in the near future.
ABB accelerates remote connectivity
ABB is also working with customers to ensure the access to field operators and service engineers who cannot be on-site, by delivering control room livestreams, operational insights, process data and plant key performance indicators to users sheltering at home.
“During the COVID-19 crisis, governments and companies are having to make difficult choices, balancing people’s safety with economic livelihood. ABB is committed to supporting both: protect people, while helping businesses to stay operational during these challenging times,” said Peter Terwiesch, president industrial automation, ABB.
“Remote services and digital solutions can make a major contribution to keep people safe, production running, and critical supply chains and economic livelihood preserved.”
To ensure continuous operations, customers can access a suite of ABB remote-enabled solutions, including remote condition monitoring of critical assets; augmented reality maintenance support; online tools for training and spare parts stocking; and self-diagnoses that mitigate risk to assets, processes and security.
Many of these services are delivered to customers through ABB Ability Collaborative Operations, a suite of digitally enabled solutions and services, and its network of Collaborative Operations centers located around the globe. With 24/7 access, ABB domain staff and data scientists use digital technologies to help customers monitor assets, processes and risks; jointly derive insights from data; suggest mitigating actions; and provide critical remote assistance to help customers to keep production running.
Terwiesch said, “We are committed to support our customers to run their operations safely, to keep the lights on, keep people connected, and help us all to weather this storm, together.”
